Paper Rings
by Rebekah Matthews
Summary: Following Ash's win at the Manalo Conference in Alola, Ash returned to Kanto, where opportunities put him on the path to Misty once again. After a life change, Ash took Olivia's advice to 'get to know the outside world' and who better to do that with than the girl who fished him out of the river? Time with each other brings Ash and Misty closer than ever, but how much more?


Author's note: This weekend, I had a lot of inspiration while I was swimming and I simply had to write this today and share it with you all. I hope you enjoy this one shot following Ash and Misty. I really enjoyed writing this one. I was strongly inspired by Taylor Swift's song _Paper Rings _which I simply adore from her latest album _Lover_.

Quick note: This story follows on from after Ash was crowned the champion at the Manalo Conference in Alola. I placed him at age 18. In this story, Ash and Misty are now 21 years old. I let you in on what went on during those few years. Enjoy!

Paper Rings

It was funny, Ash mused, to be unpacking a travelling case. He usually travelled with his backpack, but this time was an exception. The past four years had been a total whirlwind, not that his entire life hadn't been of course. He zipped up the now empty case and reached up to slide it on the top of his wardrobe. He shot into his bathroom to tidy up before going downstairs and couldn't help stopping in front of the mirror that hung above the sink. _Where did all those years go?_

He was 21 years old now. His ebony hair still sat in disarray, no matter how much he combed it. His dark, chocolate brown eyes fringed by thick lashes that any girl would have killed for only brought out how beautifully he'd aged over the years. He stood tall at six foot three now, no longer the young boy who was dwarfed by the girls and older boys he once travelled with. Thanks to lots of nagging off his mother, Delia Ketchum, he didn't slouch like most tall people did – his shoulders were set back, and his head was held high, which only added to the confidence he'd gained over the years. He was slim, yet athletic, strong jawed but held a softness in his face that spoke of the gentleness he'd maintained since he was young.

He threw water over his face to shake off some of the travel fatigue that was pulling his eyelids closed at random intervals and then stood to pat his face dry with the hand towel. He considered how odd it felt to be back in Pallet Town. It had been a year since he'd stepped foot in his hometown and what a year it had been!

"Pikapi?" Pikachu's voice sounded from in his bedroom, interrupting his thoughts.

Ash walked out and found his long-time partner standing in the doorway.

"Hey, buddy," he greeted the little yellow mouse. "Is dinner ready now?"

"Pika pika," Pikachu cheered.

Ash bent to rub Pikachu behind his ears and grinned fondly at his little friend when he started to purr with delight. He then proceeded to tickle the electric pokémon round his middle which set Pikachu off laughing.

"Alright, you're getting it, buddy!" he laughed, feeling the static on Pikachu's soft fur.

"What's taking you so long, Ash?"

Ash looked up in the doorway to find the very reason why the past year had been an unforgettable one. Misty Waterflower was stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at the scene before her with a wry smile at her lip. God, how he wanted to kiss that smile.

"We're coming, we're coming," he protested, standing up, allowing Pikachu to hop up onto his shoulder.

"I see you've finally unpacked," Misty commented, indicating his tidy room.

"Eugh, don't talk about it," Ash said, pulling a face.

"Your mother's right, Ash," she replied, wagging her finger at him. "Doing it upon coming home means you won't have to do it later."

Ash rolled his eyes fondly, fingering the long, red braid that rested on Misty's shoulder. He leaned forward and pecked her softly on the lips, lacing his fingers in hers, pulling her with him to head downstairs for some food. She allowed herself to be dragged along with him and landed downstairs where the heavenly smell of Delia's cooking was permeating the air. She giggled when she saw Ash and Pikachu's noses lift to the air and their shoulder's each dropped in anticipation. They were so alike, you wouldn't think they were of a different species.

"Hello, dears," Delia beamed as she spotted the two of them walk into the kitchen hand in hand.

"Your cooking smells lovely, Delia," Misty commented, sitting herself down at the table.

"Thank you, Misty," Delia replied, the pride evident in her bright brown eyes, a perfect echo of her son's.

Misty momentarily looked horrified when she noticed Ash had already starting downing food like he hadn't just eaten three hours ago on the plane back to Kanto. She shook her head in exasperation and started to ladle food onto her plate, in more respectable portions than her boyfriend's which was loaded with food that could feed the five thousand. She had no idea where he put it all.

"So, tell me how your flight was?" Delia inquired, pouring chilled drinks for them all.

Seeing as Ash's mouth wasn't going to be empty any time soon, Misty decided it would be best if she answered.

"Well, he," she thumbed at him, "was a total pain the whole way back from Alola. I hoped that the hot weather over there would have mellowed him out, but that battle just seemed to psyche him up even more, and it was hell getting him to stop fidgeting, never mind talking. So, I ordered as much food as I could to fill his bottomless stomach up, in the naïve hope that he'd just go to sleep the rest of the way, but no. He defended his Alolan championship title and that's all he was living off. It felt like the longest 24 hours of my life."

She then stuffed food in her mouth in much the same fashion as her pig of a boyfriend, who had been glaring at her the entire anecdote. Delia blinked at the red head who was eyeing Ash in such a way to say 'well, it's true', then she laughed out loud.

"Well, that's my Ash," she said fondly, with a chuckle. She turned to Pikachu who was filling his mouth with pokéfood, looking just like his master. "And how is your food, Pikachu?"

"Pika-chuu," he purred happily.

Mimey appeared at Delia's side, with a cloth in one hand and a broom in the other.

"Oh, don't worry about cleaning up yet, Mimey," Delia swotted him away. "We're eating. I've put your food out on the side. Please, do take a break."

Ash swallowed.

"It's nice to see Mimey's changed," he said flatly.

"Oh, come on, Ash dear," Delia chided him. "He wasn't that bad when he was Vermillion City for the year you were living in Vermilion City."

"He wanted to pluck my nose hairs so that I was as clean as the rest of the room," Ash said dryly.

Misty choked on her mouthful as she burst out laughing. Ash's head shot round to check she was alright. She waved him away, still laughing, gulping back some water.

"Well, that was… thorough of him," Delia said, slightly taken aback.

The meal passed by quicker than it felt, and Misty announced that she wanted to go up to Professor Oak's pokémon reserve to check on her pokémon at the lake there.

"Are you staying here, Ash?" she asked him.

Ash wiped his mouth and nodded at his mother. "I'm going to stay here with mom," he told her. "Can you check on Charizard and Dragonite while you're there? I don't know how Charizard is coping with him. He's not aggressive like Iris' Dragonite, but I'm not sure Charizard is too thrilled by the idea of him."

"I think you'd be better to check on how Samuel is doing with Dragonite," Delia laughed.

It was no secret that Dragonite competed with Muk for the professor's attention. It was interesting that two very different pokémon could be so similar. If Professor Oak wasn't being smothered by Muk, he was held in a death grip in Dragonite's affectionate embrace.

"Noted," Misty chuckled. "I'm surprised you're not more pleased that Dragonite hasn't picked up a tip or two from Charizard and send a well-aimed flame thrower at you in greeting instead of the usual hug. See you later, Ash!"

Ash waved at her as she disappeared out of the door, shaking his head at the idea of his Dragonite.

"I presume you wanted to talk to me about something then, Ash?" Delia invited, raising an eyebrow at her son.

"How –" Ash started.

"I'm your mother," she stated with a shrug. "I know you, Ash. So, what is it?" She rested her arms on the table patiently as Mimey started gathering all the crockery together off the table to wash.

Ash was 18 years old when he was crowned the champion at the Manalo conference in Alola. He'd felt cut adrift following his victory and didn't have a clue what to do next in life. He never forgot what Olivia, one of the Alolan Elite Four, had said to him: it was important to know the outside world. So, he left Alola and flew back to Kanto. He then joined Professor Oak to Vermilion City for the opening of the new Sakuragi Institute – a Pokémon research laboratory – where he encountered a Lugia. This led to himself and a new friend joining Professor Sakuragi as his research assistant. For Ash, this presented an opportunity that he couldn't waste. All he had to do was pass through Saffron City and he was in Cerulean City once again. Over the year, he and Misty spent more time together and it didn't take long for either of them to settle into each other's company. She was coping with the gym, with occasional help from Daisy and Tracey – who, rumour has it, have been secretly dating for a while – but Ash quickly cottoned on that she was bored and more than a little frustrated by the life that was thrust upon her. After a year had passed, Ash left the Sakuragi Institute and sought out Brandon, the Pyramid King. He continued to train under his tutelage and eventually, took some younger trainers under his wing. Misty continued to defend the gym while Ash was elsewhere in Kanto, travelling with the Battle Frontier's Battle Pyramid across the region. They kept in contact over the phone and if anything, the distance brought them closer together. With a little flirting, laughter and frequent catch ups, they found themselves wishing to close the distance between them. Then coming to the end of his second year following his win in Alola, Alola called him back to defend his title as Champion. So, Ash called Tracey to look after the Cerulean City gym. He knew that if Tracey was there, then so would Daisy and the gym would be fine. With a smirk, he brought Misty with him to Alola to watch him defend his title. After this, he took on Olivia's advice and he decided to explore the world, with Misty, of course. Who else? The difference was they ditched the backpacks and spent longer in regions to really get to know the cities populating the area and they both found themselves with suitcases of all things. Their friendship blossomed into something more, and no matter how naïve and dense Ash was in the past, he found himself lost for words and sealed the deal with a kiss. His fiery little red head didn't push him off. He was never one for words anyway.

Ash looked at his mother and silently pulled an object out of his pocket and passed it over to her. She looked at it with her eyebrows in her hairline, then a smile spread across her face.

"When?" she asked.

"I plan to take Misty to Route One tomorrow afternoon," he told her.

"Why there?" Delia asked, puzzled.

* * *

Misty was softly snoring, and Ash found himself wide awake, the Butterfrees in his stomach delicately fluttering away, keeping him from finding himself in the same sweet dreamland that she was in. He could hear Pikachu mumbling to himself in his sleep, occasionally fidgeting in his basket at the end of the bed. Ash sighed and turned to lie on his back. He could feel the gentle breeze blowing gently through the window, blowing his curtains further into his room. The light air brushing against his skin was soothing but it wasn't enough to tempt him into a slumber. He turned again onto his side, facing Misty and was suddenly overwhelmed by the kaleidoscope of Butterfree ramping up the fluttering. He was so nervous, but he knew it was right. Was it nervous to feel sick to his stomach despite lying in bed with a girl he's loved for going on a decade? He watched as each inhale and exhale of breath made her chest rise and fall. Her eyes were moving under her eyelids as she slept, her long lashes just about grazing her cheeks. He groaned at the sight of her. It was perhaps easier when he was oblivious to such intense feelings. It was nothing compared to a pokémon battle. He thrived off the adrenaline. He sighed, settling his head back further into the pillow. He felt Misty shuffle next to him but thought nothing of it as he tried to will his mind to turn off, then he felt her fingers brush against the back of his hand.

"Are you okay?" she breathed.

He turned his head to the side to look at her, only to find her eyes still closed. He shifted in bed so he could thread his arm over her side.

"Yeah," he assured her. "Just… trying to find some sleep."

He watched as he saw one of her eyes open to look at him.

"Ash, you must be jetlagged," she murmured.

"I am," he admitted. "Sleep just isn't coming to me."

Sleepily, Misty shifted closer to him so she could put her head under his chin and wrap her arm around his waist. She breathed in the musk and woodsy scent of him. This has been her happy place for quite some time now and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Just breathe, Ash," she ordered, placing her lips against his bare chest, then falling back against the mattress. She squeezed him to her gently.

He could feel her warm breath against his skin, and he felt himself warm to it in response. He leaned his head against the top of hers and smiled into her flaming red hair. There was nothing like going to sleep with her at night and waking up to her in the morning. He remembered when they flew out to Alola together when he was called on to defend his title. The second night in was the hottest he could remember it ever being. Ash smirked at the reminder of how Misty had to help him out of his clothes as he'd pulled a muscle in his back that day training before he was to have his battle in a further two days' time. She helped him to the cold shower and somehow, she ended up helping him with that too. They had given themselves wholly to each other that night and he'd never felt more on top of the world. He breezed through his battle without a sweat and when Misty joined him afterwards for the celebration with the Elite Four, they'd had a celebration of their own afterwards. It was bettered only by knowing that they were going to travel to the other regions at months at a time following his win in Alola.

He pressed his lips to her temple, and he felt her fingers press into his skin tighter. He could feel her smile into his chest, so he dipped his head down and crushed his lips against hers. He felt her smile against his mouth, so he deepened the kiss and pressed her closer to his body. He rolled her underneath him and continued to kiss her, then made his way along her jawline and under her earlobe, making her gasp, as he knew it would. His fingers trailed up her leg, over her hip and across her ribs. He could feel that she was wide awake now. He felt her hands holding onto his back, keeping him close to her as they prolonged their caresses and kisses. Her skin against his was like music to his ears. He could feel every square inch of him sing. Needless to say, they both slept through until the morning.

* * *

"Ash, where are we going?" Misty complained as they walked down the winding road heading out of Pallet Town.

"You'll see," Ash replied cryptically.

Misty made one comment this morning on how jumpy and on edge Ash was being. He'd always been hyperactive and full of energy, but this was another level. He blew her off and told her it was nothing. It was just excitement being back home. But they both knew that was a lie. He was at his happiest when he was travelling. Pikachu wasn't with them, which Misty thought was odd. Ash never went anywhere without him.

He continued to pull her along and they soon reached the outskirts of Pallet Town. Misty looked around.

"Are we going to Viridian City?" she asked.

"Nope," he replied shortly.

She frowned at him, furrowing her brow, but nevertheless continued to walk alongside him. They walked along a river that went in the direction towards Viridian City, but Ash made no such attempt to take the path that led towards the city. Instead, he led her further down the river until they reached a spherical spot by the riverbank: the perfect spot for fishing. Misty's eyes widened as she recognized this spot. She looked at Ash, pulling gently on his arm. He turned back to look at her with a smirk, the nervous energy still evident about him.

"Ash, this is where we met," she breathed.

"This is also where you gave me a slap," he chuckled, tweaking her cheek.

"Yeah," she chuckled, "I did, didn't I?"

"Come on," he urged, pulling her forward.

"Ash, what's wrong?" she asked for the second time that day.

Ash turned away from her to look out over the lake. He could see Magikarp, Goldeen and Poliwag swimming under the lake's surface and a Gyarados disappearing into the river bifurcation, swimming away from the mouth of the river. He smiled to himself at the memory of the last time he was swept down this river, then fished out by an unsuspecting redhead. Now they were here for a very different reason. He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out the very object he'd been discussing with Delia about the day before.

"Absolutely nothing, Misty," he said. He turned to face her, the object out of view clasped in his hand. "The first time we met, I stole your bike, promising to return it one day."

"Which you didn't," Misty interrupted.

Ash rolled his eyes and lifted his hand to her cheek, pulling her face towards his, crushing her lips against his own. He pulled away leaving his pinky finger resting against her lips to shush her.

"But you stole one thing from me that day and I didn't realise it until eight years down the line." He smiled affectionately at her. "You've held my heart for a long time and I realised over the past two years that we've spent together, that I don't want it back. You gave me so much and I don't want to lose that again. We were 14 when I left for the Battle Frontier and it took us four years to get back together again. I don't want to spend another four waiting for us to be together. I just want to enjoy our small piece of forever and know it's not going to go away."

Misty watched as he let her cheek go and took what was in his other hand in between his index finger and his thumb. He got down onto his knee and looked up at her, presenting the ring to her. She gasped at the ring, with a vibrant pink Corsola horn as the main centerpiece crystal circled by paler pieces of Corsola horn. In all essence of the word, it was perfect for a water pokémon gym leader.

"Misty Waterflower," he said calmly, "will you marry me?"

She pressed her lips together, barely containing her excitement at this moment and flung her arms around his neck.

"Absolutely, hell yes, I will, Ash Ketchum," she beamed.

He laughed, leaning back and planting a long, sensuous kiss on her already flushed lips. He slid it on her ring finger, happy in the knowledge that he need not walk around with the anxiety weighing his shoulders down anymore. He was thankful for the Butterfree in his stomach now, for they were very happy flutters.

Mist stared at the ring on her finger.

"When I saw jewelry made of Corsola horn on Yellow Rock Isle, I thought they were beautiful," she commented. She looked up at him. "I love shiny things, like any girl would, but I would have married you with paper rings."

She reached up clasping the back of his neck with her fingers and kissed him again.

"You know, you still owe me a bike," she murmured against his lips. She thought back to her charred bike. "I hate accidents, except when we went from friends to this."

Ash smiled into her kiss as he deepened it. Little did she know when they got back to his house in Pallet Town, a new bike was waiting for her.


End file.
